Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer

source: Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer

In my opinion, Mr. Dwyer represented good people trying to do good things within a system that has zero tolerance for such "Boy Scouts." I have no doubt that Mr. Dwyer truly believed in American justice, and was deeply appalled and shocked by the "trusted" sources that betrayed him, and the resulting "guilty" verdict. His small corner of America -- his beloved country -- had failed him, and I figure he knew that he literally could not live within such an evil and malevolent construct. As far as the film itself, I thought it was tastefully done, and respectful. My guess is, however, that there was much more that could've been covered that wasn't. Still, a good investment of my time, and recommended.

When I first heard about Budd's story, I did what most people do. You assume he was a greasy politician on the take. But give this film a moment of your time and watch as that notion of guilt completely erodes over 90 mins. Budd was a grass-roots, hard working man, an honest man even. He loved his country, his family and his community. All of this was taken away from him by vile cowards, John Torquato and William Smith, actual criminals, who essencial pointed the finger at Budd for a plea deal. How could this happen in America? I'll never fully understand why Budd pulled the trigger and I hope his family has made peace with it. I just know that after watching this film I have a better understanding of who he REALLY was and what he stood for. INNOCENT!

Were it not for the infamous news footage of R. Budd Dwyer's public suicide, this man would certainly never have crossed my radar. That footage is all over the internet, and its enduring popularity is due mostly to shock at what our media will dare to show (a man blowing his brains out was actually televised in 1987). But it gives no indication or insight into the man at the center of the controversy. So from that standpoint, "Honest Man" is a welcome examination of the man, himself. And it is a surprisingly touching, discreet and (most importantly) informative documentary. To hear the interviewees tell it, Dwyer was a real man of the people, religiously devoted to his family and honest to a fault (perhaps naively). He really seems like a good guy, politician or not, and maintained his own brand of likability. I guess you could call this one-sided, or just a tribute ... but in the end, it's still far more than this country ever did know about him. But discretion only lasts so long here, and I was pretty disappointed that the movie included the incident. They did such a good job of portending what was coming, that they could've cut as soon as he raised the gun. The implication was all that was needed. But they decided to let us see the gunshot, and linger on his slumped (and bloodied) corpse. It's not graphic footage, so much as surprising, but in this case it is gratuitous. I wish they didn't show it. And hearing the TV producer's specious justification for airing the footage (equating it with our current sensationalist cable news) truly made me feel dirty for having sought out this footage on YouTube years ago, because there was a real human being who let the incident do the talking for his legacy. Dwyer mentions in the press conference that he hopes to be remembered for something else, other than the CTA scandal - and dark though this is, he got his wish. But I do feel that I've gotten a clearer picture about who R. Budd Dwyer was, and for that this documentary is a winner. 7/10

A very poignant story especially the last half hour. His wife son daughter and friends have obviously been involved in the making of this documentary...

Honest Man is by far one of the most compelling films I've watched in many years. You do not need to be a political person to become enthralled with this very human movie. From the very beginning to the end you will be engulfed in a story of a man who's life was turned upside down in a moment. Life accounts from his family as well as from his colleagues and video clips draw a picture of man who within 75 minutes becomes your friend or a close relative. You will feel his despair as his trial nears and watching this family man succumb to such a desperate end is a true tragedy. What remains is sadness when the movie is over but with it the hope that the lesson here for us is that while we inhabit this earth together, let us remember to treat each other with respect, kindness and honesty.

One of the best political docs I've seen in a long time. After watching this I now know Budd was an innocent man, railroaded by a corrupt system. A total eye opener. Must watch for anyone with PA roots or an interest in government corruption.

It's obvious that the writers of the "documentary" actually know very little about the CTA case. It's an immensely bias piece. Dwyer was as guilty as they come. He used his "task-force" as a smokescreen to hide his true intentions. He handled all matters of the CTA contract for a period of time (and even sometimes told his aids they were not invited to meetings with him and Torquato/Smith). Smith was his old buddy, and Dwyer knew what Torquato was up to. Even before Smith's first trial he stated that Dwyer was in on the bribe. Dwyer was offered a deal by another company who would do the job better, and at half the price, than CTA. Yet he didn't even entertain the idea of awarding them the contract. There was no conspiracy. Dwyer was caught red-handed and blamed everyone except himself. Dwyer's family talk about how Dwyer would not "plea bargain with the truth" yet Dwyer urged his own lawyer to speak to the prosecutor (James West) asking him if he would drop all charges against Dwyer if Dwyer resigned as the treasurer! West did not accept it, and rightly so. So what do we have with this "documentary"? Nothing really except an uninformed love note to Dwyer. It's almost as if the writers are trying to justify a morbid interest in Dwyer's suicide by going on an uninformed, bias crusade saying he was an "innocent man". But the problem is that he wasn't innocent, and hence he will never receive any official exoneration. Two appeals after his death were dismissed. Dwyer, clearly guilty, does not deserve credit and attention for committing suicide in public (and traumatizing many many people in the process). This "documentary" may fool a few people, but for those who know the facts of the case, it is mere propaganda.

So sad and truly heartbreaking to see how even the best of us can be ripped apart and stomped on by our own. We are an inferior species. I will never understand how people can feel good about themselves by dragging others to their graves. We live in a very self centered country and it appears that we will never learn. Every day I see people who seem to gain pleasure and comfort from trying to break people down. Why do we treat others in a way that none of us would ever wish to be treated? The reviewers appear to have learned nothing. How do you walk away from this with nothing but criticism for how a documentary should be made?

If the purpose of a documentary is to enlighten via the presentation of unbiased facts than surely james dirschberger's 'honest man : the life of r budd dwyer' is the ultimate anti-documentary.From the choice of interviewees (family members,ex colleagues),reluctance to even acknowledge or go into detail about the incriminating evidence against him and finally the completely partisan title of the finished product,you should be in no doubt what conclusions the film's makers want to you to draw about the case.Having had no preconceptions regarding dwyer's guilt or innocence going into watching this (i was merely interested in the story),i was disappointed by the bull in a china shop approach to proving his innocence. Imagine if 'capturing the friedman's' andrew jarecki's superlative documentary about the friedman abuse case took this same approach from the get go,then we'd have missed out on all the rich insight and thought provoking evidence for and against the accused that the director gleaned from both the interviews and the evidence he had procured and would have been left with a glorified celluloid character reference instead. As such 'honest man' is a massively dispiriting misfire that will surely only appeal to those who want quick and easy answers and wont question from whence they came.